Foxwoods Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut, has one of the largest poker rooms in the nation, now offering 114 tables with a broad assortment of poker games, including several levels of limit and no-limit hold'em, Omaha 8/b and seven-card stud. The new room opened on 18 March 2006 under the marketing-friendly if slightly presumptuous name WPT World Poker Room. It is the largest casino-based poker room, and now in the same league as the largest California cardrooms (Commerce, Bicycle, Hollywood Park, etc.) in terms of size. Directions From I-95 Southbound/from the north/from Providence, take exit 92. Follow the signs. From I-95 Northbound/from the south/from NYC and New Haven, do NOT follow their signs at the I-395 split. This is a ridiculously out-of-the-way route that has the sole benefit of missing Mohegan Sun. (If you're going to play poker, you won't be tempted to stop at Mohegan anyway -- for now.) Instead take 395 North to the 2A exit for Mohegan and follow signs from the end of the 2A freeway portion. From Route 2/Hartford: When the expressway ends in Norwich, make a right and keep following Route 2. Follow the signs, Foxwoods will be on the right. OR: From Route 2/Hartford, take I-395 south one exit to 2A, take 2A East to rejoin Route 2. Follow the signs, Foxwoods will be on the right. This avoids some construction and lights in Norwich but it's not much quicker, if at all. Parking: The best parking for the poker room is the new Rainmaker Garage. 2nd (?) left coming from I-95 from Providence; 3rd (?) right coming from I-395. Games spread Limit hold 'em *$2/4 *$4/8 *$5/10 Kill *$10/20 *$20/40 *$40/80 *$50/100 (sometimes) *Higher limits on request No-limit hold 'em *$1-2 ($60 min, 300 max) *$2-5 ($300 min, 500 max) *$5-10($500 min, 2000 max) *$10-25($1000 min, no max) occasionally *$25-50 (busy times) Omaha 8/b *$4/8 with a half kill *$8/16 *Lists of interest have appeared recently for $10/20 and $20/40, and higher during major tournaments. Omaha High *Pot limit lists of interest appear from time to time. 7-stud *$1-3 spread (.50 ante) *$1-5 spread (.50 ante) *$5/10 *$10/20 *$20/40 *$75/150 Mixed games *$20/40 OE *$40/80 OE *$75/150 OE *$100/200 HOE Rake structure / time collection Limit games up to 20/40 are charged by a rake; higher-limit games are charged by time collection. *'$1-3' Stud:$1 at first call, $1 at $10, $1 at $30, $1 at $40. *'$1-5' Stud:$1 per $10, up to $4. *'$2/4' Hold 'em:$1 at flop, $1 at $10, $1 at 20, $1 at $40. *'$4/8' Hold 'em: $2 at flop, $1 at $30, $1 at 60. *'$5/10 /w kill' Hold 'em: $2 at flop, $1 at $30, $1 at 80. *'$10/20' Hold 'em: $2 at flop, $1 at $80, $1 at 160. *'$20/40' Hold 'em: $2 at flop, $1 at $120, $1 at 240. *'$40/80' fixed limit games (Hold'em, Stud, or mixed games): $8/half hour *'$75/150' fixed limit games (Hold'em, Stud, or mixed games): $10/half hour Some no limit games are charged by a rake; higher no limit action is charged by a time collection. Dealers collect time in the first few hands of their respective downs. Generally the presence of a lurking floorperson is a good indication that time is about to be taken. New players joining the game reasonably soon after time collection are charged, although it's not clear whether *'$1-2 NL': raked game; $1 per $10 in pot, up to $4 *'$2-5 NL': raked game; $1 at $10, $1 at $20, $1 at $50, and $1 at $80. *'$5-10NL': $8/half hour Tournaments Regular tournaments Major tournaments Foxwoods runs two major tournament series each year, the New England Poker Classic each spring and the World Poker Finals each fall. The 2006 WPF will take place between 28 October and 16 November, highlighted by a $10,000 buy-in no-limit hold 'em World Poker Tour event. Waiting times Foxwoods traffic is highly dependent on New England weather, which itself can be fairly unpredictable. Expect somewhat shorter waits on beautiful summer days. Wait times for low-limit and low-buyin NL hold 'em can get up into multiple hours on weekends. On busy Saturdays you won't regret getting there at 10:30 am or earlier. Other policies Foxwoods allows incoming players, or those who missed their blinds, to buy the button by posting both live big and dead small blinds the hand before their button hand. E.g. if the button's at seat 2 in a $2/4 game, and the player in seat 3 wants to come in despite missing his big blind, he can post $2 live blind and $1 dead, and get the button on the next hand. No "natural" blinds are posted when the button is bought. The reseat list is helpful for players wanting to take a dinner break longer than the ~35 minutes (actually two orbits plus a new dealer's shift). Just ask the floor to put your name on the reseat list, then pick up your chips. When you come back within two hours, you'll be placed second on the waiting list for the game you left. Chip Colors Generally the standard Eastern US ones, with the oddity of the $2 yellow. Apparently Foxwoods used to offer $1-3 spread limit hold 'em and $3/6 hold 'em, but brought in the yellow chips to replace those with $2/4 and $4/8. The yellow chips were also intended for use in $6/12, but patrons refused to give up the $5/10 kill game.1 Foxwoods may well be the only cardroom in the universe that plays $2/4 with two-dollar chips. If you transfer from a low-limit to a mid-limit or no-limit game, you will need to color out your yellow chips. *$1: white (used in low/limit stud games, as blinds in $2/4 games and low-buyin NLHE, and of course as tips) *$2: yellow (used only in $2/4 HE and $4/8 HE and Omaha) *$2.50: pink (not used for poker) *$5: red (used in most $5/10 and higher, as well as low-buyin NLHE games) *$25: green ($75/150 stud; $50/100 hold 'em and higher) *$100: black *$500: purple *$1000: orange *$5000: gray Comps Sign up for a Dream Card at the station between the poker room and the table games. Check in with the floor staff when you're seated, and you'll accumulate points while you play. With the new Bravo system, the dealer at the table will swipe you in and out. You no longer have to check out at the desk. You can take a meal break by informing the desk, and you'll be moved to the top of the waiting list when you return. Dream Card points can be spent on anything, including meals, rooms, and gifts. Comp rates: *Up to $4/8: $0.50 / hour *$5/10 and $10/20; all no-limit: $1.00 / hour *$20/40 limit: $1.50 / hour Food The Fifth Street Cafe, located directly in the World Poker Room, represents a marked improvement from the old room's snack bar in terms of selection. Fare is slightly pricey (Philly steak sandwich: $9; grilled chicken Greek or Caesar salad: $8) but no more so than the rest of Foxwoods. Patrons who tire of Fifth Street can take advantage of other Foxwoods dining: full-service Subway, Panera, and Ben and Jerry's locations, a scaled-back Pizzeria Uno and Carnegie Deli, and Foxwoods' own luxury Chinese, barbeque/Southern, and steakhouse options. Foxwoods does not permit food at the poker tables. Sources 1 Conversation with a dealer named Joseph in April, 2005. PhilipR Visited by wiki authors Visited by PhilipR on 30 March - 1 April 2006 (and several times before the renovation). Discussion threads and articles *Lodging near Foxwoods * - discussion of the Act structures Links *Nearest competitor will be Mohegan Sun once it brings back poker. For now, closest competition is Atlantic City, New Jersey, 262 miles (422 km) away. Turning Stone in Verona, New York, is only slightly farther. *Yahoo! Local review Category:Casinos